Water heater



March 13, 1951 KNAPP 2,544,927

WATER HEATER Filed June 8, 1945 T I 0 l F /4 Y/ O Z4 x 5 i b 25 l:

s r i w Z f; A

INVENTOR. dosepfi /7. Marga ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 13; 1951 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I a V 1 2,544,927 Y 7 WATER HEATER Joseph H. Knapp, Kansas City, Mo.

Application June 8, 1945, Serial No. 598,308

2 Claims.

One of the important aims of this invention is.

the provision of a water heater that is thoroughly insulated through the employement of a vacuum jacket; that is designed to establish circulationv of the water through paths of travel insuring quick rise in temperature; that has a heating element and mounting therefor whichv i'scapable of quickly raising the temperature of the water, that is composed of parts so interfltted as to permit using welded seams and that may be assembled with a minimum amount of.

time because of the interfittin relation between the parts thereof.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following specification more completely describes the form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a water heater made pursuant to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line II- II of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

:The water heater illustrated comprises a tank Ill formed'of sheet material and drawn intothe contour shown in Fig. 1. This tank H] is an enlarged thimble-shaped member, the top wall l2 whereof is arched to mesh with the annular side wall l4 which in turn terminates in an open bottom, closedas more fully hereinafter set forth. A bead I6 is pressed in annular side wall M, at a point spaced above thelower-most edge of wall I4 to form a stop for partition l8 that is welded in place after being pressed into the position'shown in Fig. 1 to separate the tank If! into heating compartment 20 below the partition and a water compartment 28 above it. This partition has a number of depending tubes 22 at the annular marginal edge thereof and an up-standing riser tube 24 at the axis of both tank l and partition l8. Riser tube 24 has perforations 26 therein to direct water radially as will be described when describing the operation of the heater. Riser tube 24 and the tubes 22 put the chamber 28 in communication with heating compartment 20.

Tank I0 is bottomed by the specially formed 2 floor or wall 30 stepped as illustrated in Fig. 1 and created to present a truncated cone having annular substantially vertical walls against one of which the free edge of tank 59 is secured. A weld 3! is employed when fastening wall 30 in place. Wall 30 extends upwardly into heating compartment 26 and a number of electrical heating elements 32 are clamped against the under side of this wall30 through the medium of a bolt 34 and nuts 36 and 38 respectively. Heating elements 32 are in direct contact with the outer surface of wall 30 and heat exchange occurs immediately upon water fiOWillg through compartment 20. These heating elements 32 are annular in form and bolt 34 passes upwardly centrally therethrough to a boss 35 into which the end of bolt 34 is threaded. Nut 38 lies directly against an insulating plate 31 that prevents the escape of heat from around elements 32 to a point other than in heating compartment 29. Through this arrangement heating units 32 may be replaced and the action thereof confined to a place within the heater assembly. A num'-. ber of radial fins 46 secured by welding or otherwise directly to the inner, surface of wall 30, serve to strengthen this said wall 39 and to con duct heat outwardly from elements 32 into compartment 29 where relatively cold water is supplied by pipe 42 extending from any suitable source. Customarily, this pipe 42 is connected into the city water system and as the water enters compartment 28, it is dissipated by baffle plate 44 mounted on wall 30 and projecting outwardly over the end of the intake pipe 42 in a manner revealed by Fig. 1 An outlet pipe 46 has its open upper and near the top of tank Ill where the hottest water is always found. This pipe extends downwardly along the inner side of tank Ill and thence out through partition l8, wall 30 and plate 31 to a point where connection may be made to the point of use of the hot water. i

A jacket generally designated by the numeral 41 and comprising a top 48, and annular side wall 5!! encases tank It! and all of the parts associated therewith. The size of jacket 41 is such as to present a space 52 around the sides and top of tank it} which space is exhausted to produce a vacuum for the purpose of insulating tank l0. Bottom wall 30 is large enough in diameter to snugly engage the inner surface of Side wall of jacket 41. A downwardly extending, continuous annular flange 54 at the lower periphery of wall 30 is welded to the side wall 50 when bottom 30 is slipped inwardly against one of the beads 56 embossed in side wall 5|]. This lowermost bead 56 constitutes a stop or limiting member for the movement of bottom wall 30 when the parts are being assembled. A number of feet 58 are secured to that portion of side Wall 59 extending below bottom 39 and a door 60 closing an access opening 62 is removably mounted for convenience when the space below bottom 39 is to be entered for anyreason.

Fig. 3 illustrates the type of valve which is fitted into an opening through bottom 30. This valve remains as a part of the assembly after manufacture and comprises a body 64 having a central bore 66 therethrough and a seat 68 for valve head It. A plug 12 engages one end of against the under side of valve head 10. A cap l6 protects valve stem '58 when evacuation of space 52 has occurred. After the parts are assembled as above indicated,-and the water heater is to be put into use, a vacuum pump is brought into play and attached to body 6'4 forming a part of the valve assembly illustrated in Fig. 3. When space 52 has been evacuated, valve head 19 will be seated and a perfect insulating chamber will be created without adding to the weight of the structure.

After the water heater is installed, relatively cold water will enter through pipe 42, impinge against baffle plate 44 and pass therearound in the direction of the arrows and thence over the upper surface of the stepped truncated cone shaped floor 30 upon which radial fins 4b are mounted. The Water will be at once raised in temperature and will pass upwardlythroughperforated riser tube 24 and thence outwardly through the perforations 26 thereof to .be disbursed in chamber 23. Thi breaking up of the incomingstreamof water will equalize the temperature throughout its .mass and cause the coldest water in the chamber 28 to be forced downwardly through the several tubes 22 which terminate at a point within an annular chan-l nel formed between wall M of tank Ill and the outermost stepped portion of bottom 30 as indicated at 'theleft in Fig. '1. Thus the cooler water will again be brought into contact with bottom 30 and through natural action due to differential in temperature, it will continue on upwardly through riser tube 24 and pass into chamber 28 atpoin'ts depending uponits temperature. The hottest water will seek the top of chamber 28 and pass outwardly through out-let pipe it when the-water is drawn from the heater.

Obviously such thermostatic controls as may be necessary and as are conventionally known,

can be associated with the heater to automatically cause electric current to be supplied to =e1ements 32 until the temperature of water in all parts of the heater reaches the temperature setting of the thermostat. Water heaters having physical characteristics d-ifierent than those shown and described may be produced without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what I 4 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A water heater of the kind described comprising a closed top tank having a partition of heat-conducting material setting off a water compartment thereabove and a heating coinpartment immediately below said partition; a frusto-conical wall of. heat-conducting material closing the bottom of said tank and extending inwardly into said heating compartment; an insulated plate spanning the base of said wall and setting off a closed chamber; at least one heat- 'ing element in said chamber; a cold water inlet conduit for said heatin compartment, said conduit passing through said chamber, whereby said 'cold'water ispre-heated by heat emanating from said element; .an ,outlet opening formed in said partition for passage of hot water from the heating'com-partment to the water compartment; and an outlet pipe extending" from a point near the top of-said tank-downwardly through the partition, the heating compartment, the wall, the;- closed chamber and the insulated plate, whereby hot water flowing from the tank through the pipe is maintainedv in aheated condition betweenthe plate and the uppermost end of the pipe.

2. A water heater of the kind describedc-omprising a closed top tank having .a partition of heat-conducting material setting off a water compartment thereabove and a heating compartment immediately :below said partition; a frusto-conical 'Wall of heat-conducting material closing the bottom of said tank and extending. inwardly intosaid heating compartment; an'insulated plate spanning the base of said wall and setting off a closed chamber; at least one heat-.

ing element in said chamber; :a cold water inlet;-

conduit for said heating compartment,said conduit passingthroughsaid chamber, whereby said cold water is preheated by heat emanating from. said element; an outlet openin formed in said partition for passage of hot water from the heating compartment'to the water "compartment; an: outlet pipe extending iroma point near the top ii of said tank-downwardly through the partition,

the heating. compartment, the .wall, the closed chamber and the insulated plate, whereby hot; water flowing from the tank through the pipe is maintained in a heated condition between the plate and the uppermcstend or the .pipe'; and a jacket surrounding the sides and "tops of ISfiidi. tank in spaced .relationshipthereto, said wall extending from the tank'into connecting relationship with the jacket to present a closed space around the tank capable'of air evacuation.

JOSEPH H. KNAPP. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patente UNITED snares .PA'ISENTS Number -Name Date 358,271 Hosford Feb. 22, 1887 1,132,617 Rector Mar; 23, 1915 1,648,192 Prel-l s l Nov. 8,1927;

2,151,854 Knapp Mar. .28.. 1939; 

